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Remote Amazon Waters for Suite Peacock Bass
By Larry Larsen
Fishing remote waters in the Amazon region of Brazil usually reveals lots of hidden
peacock bass, and my recent trip to the Rio Omero watershed off the Rio Branco proved to be no exception. In fact, on the one day I really focused on catching as many as
possible, I caught and released 74 before 11 am. Fishing by myself that day, I ended up with 88 peacock bass up to 9 pounds. They probably averaged 2 pounds each, not large
by jungle standards, but a lot of fun.
During the weeklong trip, I had all the action on 3 species of peacocks and 5 or 6 other
Amazon species that anyone could want. I caught 3 double-digit peacock bass including one just shy of 13 pounds … all while enjoying comfortable accommodations (called
Anglers Inn Amazon Floating Suites) in the middle of the Rain Forest!
 I was out in the "boonies." Or more correctly out in the far reaches of the Amazon Jungle. I was over 200 miles from the nearest road and
another 200 miles from a paved road that connected one town to another. I didn't see a river boat, yacht, barge or even a village-to-village water taxi. All are normally
prevalent in the nearby Rio Negro which has hundreds of tributaries besides the Rio Branco and its tiny tributary, the Rio Omero.
Where is the Rio Negro? It lies northwest of Manaus, Brazil
(gateway to the Amazon) and is a major river forming the Amazon River. Fishing guides from Anglers Inn Amazon greeted our small plane as we landed on a
 dirt runway near a small Indian village, and we soon boarded small fishing boats for a 90-minute ride through a maze of twisting rivers to our permitted
camp base in Indian Territory. We were met on one of the few river sandbars by our camp host Billy Chapman Jr., a long-time outfitter in Mexico and Brazil.
Chapman explained that our party of five had permission from the tribal
Chief to fish the exclusive area and presented each of us with a fishing shirt bearing the logo, "Amazon Tough". Then two minutes later, he toured us through his newly constructed Anglers Inn
Amazon Floating Suites (www.anglersinn.com). He had started building the floating cabins in 2010 and opened them on the last two weeks in February just before the end of that
"season." He then had to wait until September for the new "low water season" to continue operations on the Montaparu and the Marmelos rivers. .
 Two anglers share each suite and the four suites plus an over-size dining room cabin are all pulled up to and anchored to a sandbar. The entire
"camp" can be moved daily, if needed, to re-position the suites on another sandbar several miles further up or down the river being fished. They may also stay put for a few
days if the peacock bass are biting. The real advantage to the shallow floating suites with a draft of 8 inches are that they can be moved with just a small fishing boat and 25 hp
outboard far upstream into smaller, very isolated areas that no other fishing operation can access.
The suites are the most comfortable accommodations I've seen in a base-camp situation
in the jungle. I've been in small tents, large tents, boat tents, floating tents, and floating cabins before but these facilities are better thought-out for Amazon jungle fishing
adventures than any I've seen to date. With over-sized beds, clean roomy, well-insulated interiors, closets, personal desks and large showers, hanging hooks, rod holders, 110-volt
electricity and both front and rear porches, they truly are a step above all other riverside "camps".
 Chapman's guides are all veterans with 6 to 12 years experience, and he is very proud of them. "They are eager to please," he says." We have a
small staff that we've polished and trained by our Anglers Inn staff from Mexico. In camp, we have a maintenance man, waiter, Captain of the guides, two cooks in the kitchen,
and a bilingual camp host. For more information, contact Billy or Gail Chapman at Anglers Inn Amazon, 3800 N. Mesa, Suite A2-358, El Paso, TX 79902, phone (800)468-2347 or
e mail - info@anglersinn.com
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